The company responsible for constructing the controversial Bijli Mahadev ropeway in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it has already invested a substantial Rs 35 crore into the project, which is now stalled. Rajasthan-based M/s Ravi Infrabuild Projects Ltd, in its official reply, attributed the halt to opposition from what it termed "anti-social" elements and people with vested interests.
Company's Defense and Allegations Before the Tribunal
In its detailed submission to the green court, Ravi Infrabuild Projects Ltd presented a multi-pronged defense of the ropeway project. The firm asserted that all requisite permissions were secured before commencing work, including the crucial Stage-II final approval from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on September 4. The company emphasized that the project was exempt from requiring a separate environmental clearance.
The reply further stated that the company held meetings with concerned gram panchayats to address the settlement of forest rights for locals. On the technical front, Ravi Infrabuild claimed that due consideration was given to stabilizing the rope structures, taking into account the prevailing soil conditions and geological parameters of the area. The company firmly denied that the felling of trees for the project would lead to significant soil erosion or endanger village lives.
Roots of the Controversy and Public Protest
The NGT is hearing the case based on two separate petitions filed against the project. The petitioners include the Bijli Mahadev Temple Committee, represented by its Treasurer Fateh Rana, and Nachiketa Sharma, a resident of Kullu. They have urged the tribunal to restrain the National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML)—the project's developer and an NHAI subsidiary—from any further construction.
The petitions argue that the ropeway was granted clearance without proper environmental appraisal, carrying capacity studies, or slope stability assessments, and should therefore be cancelled. The issue came to a head in July when the proposed felling of 67 trees sparked widespread protests in the Kullu valley. Local communities, who hold the meadows of Bijli Mahadev sacred, demanded the project's complete cancellation.
Project Scale and Government Intervention
The ambitious ropeway project, with an estimated cost of Rs 284 crore, is designed to connect Nature Park in Mohal on the banks of the Beas River to the Bijli Mahadev mountain top at an altitude of approximately 2,460 metres. Once operational, it is projected to have a capacity of 36,000 passenger trips per day, with the journey to the summit taking about seven minutes.
In response to the escalating protests, the Union government constituted a three-member committee headed by Union Minister J P Nadda to decide the future of this contentious project. The committee's findings are awaited as the legal battle continues in the NGT, pitting development claims against environmental and cultural concerns.
